IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ChromaDex Corp. (NASDAQ:CDXC), an integrated, science-based, nutraceutical company devoted to improving the way people age, announced today that the results from its collaborative research agreement with the NIA and NIH which appear in the Feb. 5, 2018, issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and were announced in an NIH news release, show that NIAGEN® nicotinamide riboside (NR) prevented neurological damage and improved cognitive and physical function in a new mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that more closely resembles human AD than other mouse models. These promising findings arrive just a few short months after Dr. Johan Auwerx and his team published their results demonstrating that AD mice treated with NR had lower levels of amyloid deposits, improved mitochondrial energy production and improved memory in his paper, in the prestigious journal Nature. Study results provide strong preclinical support for NR research in Alzheimer’s patients.

ChromaDex Founder and CEO, Frank Jaksch, shared, “We are pleased that our collaboration with NIH-NIA resulted in a significant peer reviewed publication in a prestigious journal. We are aware of two human trials on mild cognitive impairment that are in progress. Data from these studies should pave the way for additional human clinical trials.”

“We will continue to support research that validates NIAGEN® as a weapon against conditions associated with aging,” stated Robert N. Fried, President and Chief Operating Officer of ChromaDex.

In this latest study, Vilhelm A. Bohr, M.D., Ph.D., senior investigator and chief of the Laboratory of Molecular Gerontology of the NIA’s Intramural Research Program, Dr. Yujun Hou, a postdoctoral investigator in the laboratory, and an international team of researchers first developed a new model of mice featuring hallmarks of human Alzheimer’s including neurofibrillary tangles, failing synapses, neuronal death and cognitive impairment. Mice received drinking water supplemented with NIAGEN® NR and over a three-month period, researchers found that the mice receiving NIAGEN® had reduced tangles in their brains, higher neuroplasticity, less DNA damage, increased production of new neurons from neuronal stem cells, and lower levels of neuronal damage and death. In fact, in the area of the brain which typically becomes damaged in individuals with dementia, NIAGEN® appeared to either clear existing DNA damage or prevent it from spreading. Importantly, the study demonstrated that NR treatment significantly increased the cerebral cortical NAD+/NADH ratio suggesting that NR enters the brain and boosts cellular NAD+ levels when administered orally.

The research team attributes the observed physical and cognitive benefits to the rejuvenating effect NR had on stem cells in both muscle and brain tissue. The scientific evidence suggests NAD depletion, the resultant DNA repair deficiency and reductions in cellular energy within the brain are suspected contributors to Alzheimer’s. NAD is widely known to be critical for mitochondrial health and biogenesis, stem cell self-renewal, and neuronal stress resistance. Today, AD affects tens of millions of people worldwide, with these numbers expected to double within the next 20 years.

ChromaDex has enabled the proliferation of NR research by providing NIAGEN®, which has undergone extensive safety testing, at no cost to independent investigators who are leading nearly 130 programs in 34 different areas of health research including brain and heart health, immunity, and inflammation. To date there are 3 published clinical trials of NIAGEN®. NIAGEN® is also being utilized in at least 11 of the 14 human clinical trials currently listed on clinicaltrials.gov. A decade’s worth of pre-clinical research as well as published human clinical evidence have shown that supplementing with NIAGEN® efficiently and effectively boosts NAD levels.

About NADNAD activates cellular metabolism and energy production within the cell’s “power stations,” the mitochondria. Our mitochondria are constantly working to convert the food into the energy necessary to power all bodily systems as well as help us stay healthy enough to ward off illness. The challenge is that both NAD levels and mitochondrial functions decline as we age. This reduction in NAD is believed by scientists to be linked to a wide variety of age-related diseases and conditions.

About ChromaDex:ChromaDex Corp. is an integrated, global nutraceutical company devoted to improving the way people age. ChromaDex scientists partner with leading universities and research institutions worldwide to uncover the full potential of NAD and identify and develop novel, science-based ingredients. Its flagship ingredient, NIAGEN® nicotinamide riboside, sold directly to consumers as TRU NIAGEN®, is backed with clinical and scientific research, as well as extensive IP protection. TRU NIAGEN® is helping the world AGE BETTER®. To learn more about ChromaDex, please visit www.ChromaDex.com.

Forward-Looking Statements:This release contains forward-looking statements relating to ChromaDex and ChromaDex’s business within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements related to the results of the recently published study and whether it is further confirmation as to the benefits of NIAGEN®. Statements that are not a description of historical facts constitute forward-looking statements and may often, but not always, be identified by the use of such words as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "potential", "possible", "probable", "believes", "seeks", "may", "will", "should", "could" or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. More detailed information about ChromaDex and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in ChromaDex's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, ChromaDex's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings submitted by ChromaDex to the SEC, copies of which may be obtained from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and actual results may differ materially from those suggested by these forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement and ChromaDex undertakes no obligation to revise or update this release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

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